Saints players voice safety fears for Paris NFL game amid France riots
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New Orleans Saints players have touched down in France ahead of their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the civil unrest gripping Paris dominating the questions they faced on arrival.
The team landed at Charles de Gaulle airport on Monday morning. A virtual news conference followed, in which the rioting that has filled headlines and social media was addressed.
The NFL said on Sunday that “preparations continue as scheduled for NFL events and the game” at Stade de France.
Tight end Juwan Johnson said some of his family members are “very undecided” about whether to travel to Paris for the game.
“Just being safe is obviously the biggest thing,” Johnson said. “Some guys have family here. Some guys have their parents, their kids and things like that.”
Johnson said his family “may be making the trip. If they do I’m sure it’ll be great. If they don’t, obviously I completely understand. We’re very undecided right now.”
Away from the match, Paris Saint-Germain have invited Saints players to attend the soccer club’s Champions League game against Barcelona on Tuesday night at Parc des Princes.
Safety Justin Reid said that beyond that, he will mostly stay closer to Versailles, where the team is being accommodated.
“Keep it low-key, keep it fun, do things as a group, do things as a team and above all else stay out of the mix and don’t find any way to be a distraction to our ultimate goal here, which is to come in and put on a performance and get a win,” he said.
The NFL’s statement added: “There’s been no disruption or impact at league sites.”
The Steelers, meanwhile, plan to arrive in Paris later this week.
Safety Jaquan Brisker said “it looks crazy out there. But I guess everybody has a plan.”
France is imposing curfews in several areas following riots and looting over the weekend.
French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu had originally ruled out a blanket curfew in Paris and said it was more appropriate for now to apply partial and localised curfews, without providing details. He did not rule out declaring a state of emergency in the capital.
